Crist, Alexander Disagree With Grimsley’s Medicaid Approach (FL)

April 23, 2010

The House Medicaid program, co-written by State Rep. Denise Grimsley, goes too far, too fast, according to the governor and the Senate’s budget chief.

Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said concern is rising about Medicaid reforms. He wants to slow down.

Medicaid costs Florida $19 billion a year, but Alexander said it is one of the items that "will have limited effect on next year’s $69 billion state budget, so that tends to make me take a little bit slower approach to it and get it right, rather than hurry through it."

The Senate, he told the News Service of Florida, has not ruled out either the House or Senate plan. "Both have solid merit. But from my standpoint, I think taking a more steady approach over the next year has merit, too."

&#x 0D;
HB 7223, co-sponsored by Grimsley, R-Lake Placid, cleared the Florida House on Monday. Florida’s 2.7 million Medicaid participants would be moved into private managed care plans, which would include more than 10,000 in Highlands County.

Administrator Robert Palussek said Highlands County Health Department could lose $1.1 million in funding. He would have to cut 20 employees and end adult health, pediatric primary care, women’s health, family planning and children’s dental health care programs.

The Senate version of Medicaid reform would add about 250,000 low-income Floridians in 19 counties to a pilot HMO-PPO type program, underway since 2006. The House would steer all Medicaid recipients into managed care programs over the next five years.

Alexander’s slowdown call came hours after Gov. Charlie Crist acknowledged he also was uneasy with sweeping reforms and the few signs of consensus from the House and Senate.

"I have some concerns about it," Crist said Wednesday. "I want to make sure whatever is passed doesn’t unfairly treat the most vulnerable in our society, as well as our senior citizens."

Crist repeated his remarks on Thursday, and said he favors the Senate plan.

Grimsley did not respond to Alexander’s or the governor’s remarks before press time.

Alexander said lawmakers should study the issue further over the next year, rather than struggling to choose between the proposals advanced by the House and Senate.

Another side

House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, had a different view. He is among the architects of the House Medicaid plan. He huddled with Senate Health Regulation Chairman Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and came away with the impression there were broad areas of agreement between the sides.

"Managed care, properly expanded, is the way to go, but clearly the House and Senate have different approaches," Cannon said. "We’ll just have to wait and see."

He added that Alexander wants savings, changes must be made: "Medicaid is like turning a battleship. Nothing we do this year will have a dramatic effect this year. But … it charts the course over the next five years to improve access and quality of care."